Who are the Trobriand Islanders?
The Trobriands, a Melanesian people who live primarily on four islands in Milne Bay Province, northeastern Papua New Guinea, are one of the over 300 cultures covered in the eHRAF World Cultures ethnographic database. Fifty-seven documents totaling 6,268 pages make up the Trobriand culture collection in eHRAF.
Are Trobriand Islanders a tribe?
History of the Trobrianders The Trobrianders are an indigenous tribe living on the Trobriand Islands archipelago of Papua New Guinea. These islands were first reached by the French in 1793 and are, in fact, named after the lieutenant of the ship. This first discovery did not result in colonization, however.
Where is Trobriand?
Papua New Guinea
Trobriand Islands, also called Kiriwina Islands, coral formations in the Solomon Sea of the southwestern Pacific, Papua New Guinea, 90 miles (145 km) north of the southeasternmost extension of the island of New Guinea.
Who authored Trobriand Islands?
Bronislaw Malinowski and Billy Hancock (Trobriand Islands), c1915-1918.
What language do the Trobriand people speak?
Kilivila is an Austronesian language spoken on the Trobriand Islands in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, by about 25,000 speakers. It is a Western Melanesian Oceanic language belonging to the Papuan Tip Cluster group.
How do I get to the Trobriand Islands?
Get in. Airlines PNG has two flights weekly from the capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, on a small Twin-Otter plane, via the capital of Milne Bay Province, Alotau. From Alotau it may also be possible to get a ride on one of the small boats that carry stores to the Trobriands.
How do you say Trobriand?
Phonetic spelling of Trobriand
- Tro-briand.
- tro-briand. Emelia Sanford.
- Tro-bri-and. Lucius McGlynn.
What language is spoken in the Trobriand Islands?
Kilivila
4 Kilivila, the language of the Trobriand Islanders, is one of 40 Austronesian lan- guages spoken in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea.
What is the role of money in Trobriand life?
Trobrianders use yams as currency, and consider them a sign of wealth and power. Western visitors will often buy items from the Trobrianders using money. There is also a Kula exchange, which is a very important tradition among the Trobriand Islands. The women also use bundles of scored banana leaves.
How is debt repaid in the Trobriand culture?
Giving yams creates debt that can only be repaid in bundles. Unlike yams, however, bundles remove debt and can “repay” a person for the time, wealth and support they may have giving over the lifetime of the deceased (Weiner: 122).
Why do Trobriand Islanders Exchange Kula objects?
These were red shell necklaces and white shell bracelets, which were not producers’ capital, being neither consumable nor media of exchange outside the ceremonial system. Kula objects, which sometimes had names and histories attached, were not owned in order to be used but rather to acquire prestige and rank.
Why is the kula ritual so important to the Islanders?
The partnerships between men, involving mutual duties and obligations, were permanent and lifelong. Thus the network of relationships around the kula served to link many tribes by providing allies and communication of material and nonmaterial cultural elements to distant areas.
What is the purpose of the kula ring?
It provides internal status for men, and strengthens political stability among kula trading islands by reinforcing peace, since Trobrianders are highly reticent to attack islanders who are partners in kula.
Can you visit the Trobriand Islands?
The islands themselves are very simple with only a couple of decent guesthouses and little by way of serious infrastructure but this is part of the charm and a visit here is definitely a throwback to a time when life was less materialistic and the community was everything.
Does the Kula ring still exist?
The Kula ring spans 18 island communities of the Massim archipelago, including the Trobriand Islands, and involves thousands of individuals.